


Keeping a Secret

by yoomsthefool



Series: oh my godd they were roommates,,, [2]
Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Established Relationship, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Really I just had fun writing about Gundam haha, and Gundam not Gundham lol, but I guess that'll appear in ch 2, spelled Ouma not Oma, tagging's difficult, there's a tiny cat, this is supposed to be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-23 14:44:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17685464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoomsthefool/pseuds/yoomsthefool
Summary: As much as Kokichi loves keeping his secrets, there are some that just can’t be kept hidden, as hard as he could try.And that being said, one such secret is currently making itself known to Momota as he stares at the door of their guest bathroom, arms crossed.AKA Momota finds a cat in his bathroom.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> One thing I love more than Oumota is cats so this is pretty self-indulgent. How the hell the 'light angst' appeared, though, I'm not so sure. Leave it to Oumota to do this handcurls
> 
> This takes place some time after my last Oumota University AU fic "Migraines", but can definitely be read by itself.

Ouma has his secrets. Such a statement is simply truth--one that Ouma himself declares proudly on occasions. He likes having secrets, likes letting people know that they exist, but upon being questioned it become clear that he has every full intention of keeping them. The further he’s questioned, the more intricate his lies become until his target leaves, exasperated at their attempts to even try, and sometimes they forget that they were trying to uncover some truth to begin with.

Momota fell victim to that trick too many times to count, to be honest, but after realizing just  _ what  _ Ouma was doing he only resolved to stop giving up. He remembers chasing after Ouma, mostly figuratively but often times literally too, reaching out as he desperately found himself wanting to know  _ more  _ about him. 

Well, over time Momota got some answers, though he wasn’t exactly happy with them at first. One of the first truths he learned about Ouma is that Ouma, for all his theatrics and claims otherwise, is like any other person, and, like them, he has his boundaries.

Ouma Kokichi has his secrets, and there are some that he’ll fight to take alone to the grave. Secrets that he doesn’t want to share not with any of his classmates, not with any of the members of his trusted “organization”, and not even with his boyfriend. 

And, as said boyfriend, Momota told himself that he can accept that. He respects Kokichi’s privacy as an individual--he didn’t need to take up every single aspect of his life, and the same could be said vice versa. 

Still, though, as much as Kokichi loves keeping his secrets, there are some that just can’t be kept hidden, as hard as he could try. 

And that being said, one such secret is currently making itself known to Momota as he stares at the door of their guest bathroom, arms crossed. He gazes absentmindedly downwards at the two tiny, fuzzy black  _ things  _ that poke out from the crack underneath their door, wriggling insistently before disappearing, then reappearing.

Momota lightly pinches his own cheek. Nope, not an illusion. There's something in there. If he really had to make a guess right now, he’d say--

A high pitched  _ meow  _ from behind the door beats him to it. Welp, that confirms it. There’s a cat in there, and even with no real concrete reason in mind the only culprit he can think of is Kokichi.

Momota sighs and approaches the bathroom. 

“I’m going to open the door, step back?” he offers, hand on doorknob. He wonders just who he’s talking to--Kokichi’s  _ should be  _ out taking a midterm right now, and the cat can’t understand him, but he doesn’t want to be guilty of slamming any creature, gremlin or cat, with a door by accident.

He opens the door, carefully. The door doesn’t seem to hit anything, so he looks around the bathroom. Admittedly, it may have been a while since he set foot in it. He prefers the master bedroom bathroom a lot more, but as he gazes from a small litter box at the base of the toilet to a bowl of cat food and another of water by the shower and finally at the black fuzzball with wide golden eyes staring up at him from the corner, he realizes it’s been far too long since he stepped foot into this room.

Momota stares back at the fuzzball. The thing’s tiny--it can’t be bigger than his foot, to be honest.

The longer he stares, the longer the kitten stares back, until it goes bug-eyed and glances behind Momota. He looks back with it to the open door of the bathroom and, instinctively, shuts it closed with his foot. The kitten flattens its ears at the clock of the door and tries to press itself back against the corner, and then tries to become the equivalent of a shadowy pancake as Momota takes a tentative step towards it.

“Hey, hey… It’s okay,” Momota murmurs, kneeling down in front of it. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

He reaches out towards it, stopping his hand a few inches from the kitten. It gazes at him warily for a few seconds before sniffing at his fingers, pink nose twitching. He gives it another moment before moving further to touch it.

The kitten’s black fur is incredibly soft, and it stills for two seconds before clambering over Momota’s wrist and up his arm.

“Whoa--” The kitten’s already on his shoulder, and he feels short, hot puffs of air in his ear. Momota laughs because it tickles. “Hey, stop that!”

He reaches up and easily plucks the kitten off of him, fingers loosely wrapped around its torso. It squirms in his grip, though, so he adjusts it until its lying on his palm and cradled against his chest. Like some apple-sized fur baby.

Momota stands up and looks at himself at the mirror. The cat's wide eyes stare back at him. It’s so tiny compared to him, it’s actually really fucking adorable--the cat, of course. He finds himself smiling stupidly before blinking, shaking his head.

Alright, first things first. His boyfriend hadn’t been lying about the midterm, and there’s a cat in his bathroom.

Momota looks at the few cat supplies in the bathroom again before grabbing his cell phone from his pocket. He scrolls through his contact list and, upon finding his person of interest, calls.

A few short rings later, they pick up.

“Hey, Momota. What’s up?”

“Yo, Hoshi. I have a question for you, if you have the time.”

“I'm free right now. Let me guess, is this about Ouma’s cat?”

Well, bingo. 

“Yeah, actually, I wasn’t aware until now that he has a cat, actually.”

“Huh. Well, I wouldn’t put that past him, seeing how he is, but I thought he’d tell at least you, Momota. Since you’re roommates and all.”

There’s a brief pause.

“Uh, actually, Kokichi and I are dating now,” Momota says, half sheepishly, half proudly because he can’t deny the small grin that forms whenever he states this fact.

“Oh. My bad for not noticing earlier.” A pause. “Just didn’t know you two made it official.”

“Sorry, didn’t realize I didn’t tell you,” Momota says. It was only recently Kokichi said it was okay for them to be public, and by ‘public’ he meant only to Momota’s friends that he knew as well. And, well, as happy Momota was with that huge development, he wasn’t going to make some private Facebook event or group chat for it, so he just went with the flow. He just hadn’t talked to Hoshi from then until now.

Momota suddenly frowns, because he had made the move to rub the back of his neck and instead became aware of the still warmth in his palm. He glances down to see the kitten still curled up on his hand, eyes now closed, whiskers twitching with its breaths. The tiny little thing had fallen asleep.

“... Anyway, you called about the cat?” Hoshi prods helpfully. “Is she alright?”

“Oh, right.” Momota has no idea why he’s lowering his voice now, but he is. “Yeah, it’s fine. Currently sleeping. Can you tell me more about it?”

“Hm. Well, I don’t know the whole story, but I can tell you what I know. Remember that storm two months ago?”

“Uh,” Momota frowns. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, well, I was at home one day of it and Ouma visited me, with the cat. Both soaked to the bone. The cat was in danger of hypothermia so I didn’t ask any questions.”

“Uh… Huh.”

“Yeah. I got them dry and warm--well, best I could for Ouma, no spare clothes to offer--and the cat was responsive immediately. Fighter, that one. Still, though, she wasn’t weaned, and Ouma told me that she’s an orphan, so--”

“He told you that?” Momota interrupts.

“Hm. Yeah, he did.”

Momota’s fingers curl around the bundle of warmth held against his chest. “What brought that on?”

“Oh. Well, if you find pre-weaned kittens without a mother, then it’s likely that she’s just out hunting or exploring and will return soon. I told him this and that was his response.” A pause. “It didn’t seem like he was lying, and, with the storm, I didn’t second guess it.”

“I see…” Momota glances down at the kitten, still sleeping peacefully in his palm. “... Hold on, though, I definitely would have noticed if this cat’s been here for a month now.” At least, he  _ hoped  _ he would have. Ouma couldn’t be  _ that  _ good at keeping such a big secret like this right under his nose, right?

“Ah, right. Well, she was still only a few weeks old, and I think Ouma knew he wasn’t capable of taking care of it himself. Having it stay at a vet’s too expensive, and I didn’t feel comfortable taking care of a pre-weaned kitten myself, so I referred him to Gundam.”

“Gundam?”

“Yeah, a grad student I know. He’s from the zoology department and also directs the local shelter, so taking raising a kitten should be no problem to him, and he could probably find her a good home after, too. Well, not that  _ that  _ would be a problem, I guess.”

Momota snorts lightly. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Yeah. Well, the storm wasn’t letting up, but she was probably starving so I gave Gundam a call and had him come over to us.”

“You stayed for all that?” Momota asks, surprised. As far as he knew, Kokichi and Hoshi rarely interacted the few times they met with Momota (and their grade, he supposed) as their only connection. As far as he knew, they didn't particularly even like each other, what with their clashing personalities.

“Heh. Yeah.”

Momota frowns at a wall, even more confused, because Hoshi just sounded amused over call. That’s a first.

Hoshi continues, “Believe me when I say this, Gundam’s weirder than your boyfriend. I stayed partially to protect the cat and partially because, I dunno, it seemed like it’d be interesting. Also, it was my apartment during a storm. Didn't want to go out.”

Momota, absolutely dumbfounded for a number of reasons, “Okay, then. How the fuck did  _ that  _ go.”

“Gundam came with a carrier and supplies and instantly… You know what, you have to meet him to understand, and even then you don’t, so don’t ask further because I don’t know. But he went into a tirade about us… Bringing a new minion to his dark empire, I think, and that we were lucky that he was willing to accept our offer.”

“ _ What _ ,” Momota asks flatly.

“You asked how it went, I told you not to ask further, Momota.”

Curiosity burning, Momota still asks, “Well, how did Kokichi respond to  _ that _ ?”

“This was more than five weeks ago, Momota, so I’ll paraphrase it as best as I can remember. Ouma just responded with his own nonsense about his evil organization or something, and then these two were arguing, except not loudly because hey, there’s a kitten. They argued theatrically the whole time. Gundam checked the cat and bottle fed it. I don’t know, I’d say they enjoyed themselves by the time Gundam left with it.”

“Uhuh.” Sounds about right, to be honest. “Did uh… Did Kokichi say anything about visiting the kitten?”

“Huh. I don’t think he did, but now that you mention it, I think Gundam was saying something about ‘keeping his security fortified’ or something against ‘fiends’ while pointing at Ouma as he left. So I guess he expected Ouma to visit.”

“That’s his way of inviting people over?”

“Like I said, he’s fucking weird.”

Momota huffs in half-laughter, half-confusion. He feels the kitten stir a little against his chest. 

“Thanks, Hoshi. This helps a lot.”

“No problem,” Hoshi replies. “Anything else?”

“Yeah, actually. If Gundam took the cat, then how did you know I was calling about it?”

“Ah, right. Well, two nights ago I received a call from Gundam. He yelled at me to give me the ‘coordinates of a certain evil supreme world conqueror’ because he had ‘not properly bound a contract with the dark overlord himself’.”

“... And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“I figured it had something to do with the cat, so I asked about her, and Gundam told me that Ouma had taken her. I asked if the cat was old enough for that, and he said that the age wasn’t the problem, that it was the whole ‘contract’ thing.”

“So...” Momota trails off, squinting. “What, did he steal her?”

“I don't think so? As believable as that is, I think Gundam would've been a lot angrier if he did that. My guess is that Ouma didn’t properly fill out the adoption paperwork or something."

Trusting Hoshi's judgement, Momota nods. "Okay. Did you give him our address, then?"

"Nah, I gave him Ouma’s number--”

“How do you have Kokichi’s number?” Momota interrupts, more confused than anything because,  _ again _ , he had no idea that Kokichi and Hoshi were so close--.

“Ask  _ him _ how he got  _ my  _ number, if you didn’t give it to him yourself. He texted me not long after the whole storm scenario.”

“Oh. Alright.” Momota pauses. “Texted you about what?”

“Hm. Well, there’s no point in hiding it now. He told me to not tell you about the whole situation, more or less.”

“Oh, okay,” Momota says blankly. After a long pause, Momota sighs. “Alright. Thanks for answering all my questions, Hoshi. And for taking care of Kokichi. I owe you one.”

“No need to thank me,” Hoshi replies easily. “Just good to hear the cat’s safe. Guess I should’ve told you before, though.”

“Don’t worry about it. You were just respecting a promise, like a good man,” Momota says much more heartily than he feels. “Wanna get a drink sometime? With some of the other guys? I’ll pay for you.”

“Sure, sounds good.” A pause. “I have a question, though.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“You aren’t angry at Ouma about this, are you?”

“Ah, uh,” Momota starts, “Why would I be?”

“I mean, you just found a cat in your mutual home that your boyfriend made an effort to not tell you about, Momota. Fill in the pieces yourself.”

Momota looks down at the kitten again. He frowns, thinking. 

“... To be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about all of this, but I’m not angry, I think” he finally answers, slowly. 

“I see.” Hoshi pauses. “Hm.”

“Huh? What’s up, Hoshi?” Momota asks.

“Don’t worry about it,” Hoshi smoothly replies. “Looking forward to drinking with you. Just give me a text.”

“Oh, uh, yeah. See you, Hoshi.”

“See you.”

Momota hangs up the call and pockets his phone before rubbing his neck, sighing. That… That was a lot to take in, for a number of reasons. He contemplates the emotions brewing in his chest. Sure, a part of him is definitely hurt that Kokichi very deliberately didn’t tell him about any of this, but a part of him is more  _ worried  _ for the same reason. 

Kokichi has his secrets that he wanted to keep even from Momota. Momota told himself he had accepted that. 

Momota shakes his head. It’s just a cat. 

He looks down again at said cat cradled against him. As if woken by the silence proceeding their call, she stirs in his hand and yawns, flashing tiny teeth and a pink tongue, before blinking owlishly up at Momota. 

Momota hovers a finger above her nose, watching her sniff at his fingertip before cautiously touching it with a paw. The touch is so gentle.

“Just what am I going to do with you…?” Momota murmurs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was just supposed to be a fic that I could be like "aw look, Oumota and a cat, cute". The two fools don't even breathe in the same room together in this. It's just Hoshi talking. What happened.
> 
> This got longer than I thought it would so I'm splitting it up into two. Second chapter's probably going to be shorter and will be in Ouma's POV. Thanks for reading, kudos & comments are greatly appreciated! o/


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING for Animal Death mention in the beginning of this chapter. Don’t worry, though, the kitten’s safe.
> 
> A note about this AU. I’m went to a university in California, and since this fic series is really just me being self-indulgent I’m basing this fic’s uni after my own. While the cast is not necessarily in California, they’re not necessarily in a Japanese university either, since the way that system works is probably really different from what I experienced. I’m doing this on purpose, though, so I’m likely not going to deeply look into how Japanese higher education works for this fic series. Aaand I’ll probably just never specify where the fuck they are.
> 
> me, absolutely deluding myself "ch 2 will probably be shorter than ch 1" ahahahahahhaahhahaaaaa
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Ouma Kokichi hates rain.

He has read through enough poetic tweets to understand that this isn’t a widely shared sentiment. Apparently rain is _relaxing_ , something something about it creating a pleasant melody to listen to or some shit. Yeah, that’s just when you’re warm and dry and bundled up with a mug of hot chocolate by the window. Rain’s a nightmare when you actually have to walk through it, live through it, wondering if it would ever stop and if you’d ever be dry again. It’s miserable.

_I hate the rain._

That’s the thought that flashes through Ouma’s mind as he stares at the cat’s body from underneath the lip of his umbrella. At first it seemed to be just an unmoving black spot by the sidewalk, like a piece of canvas that an artist had smeared over with paint, but as he had approached it he realized that it was an animal. Was.

Probably a hit and run, since he found it at the side of a not busy street. Probably some busy fucker who was in a hurry and decided that whatever _thump_ he heard wasn’t going to ruin his day. Ouma’s fingers clench around the handle of his umbrella.

Well, he shouldn’t let it ruin _his_ day either. He can just give a call to the city council for them to pick up the roadkill.

Ouma turns away from the body.

And his umbrella splashes to his feet as he hears a faint noise among the heavy raindrops. It was so quiet that he could have just imagined it, but that’s not what he tells himself as he goes on his hands and knees by the curb, searching through the dirt and bushes that line it. His hand reaches in deep, and Ouma grimaces at the unpleasant feeling of wet leaves and grime brushing against his fingers. Rain soaks into his hair, causing it to droop down past his shoulders and his bangs to fall against his eyes, but he just blinks past them as he feels his fingers clasp around cold, wet fur.

He gingerly pulls the source from the bushes. It’s tiny, so tiny that it fits into his small hand easily. Ouma stares what he realizes is a kitten, watching as more raindrops fall onto it, disappearing into already soaked black fur.

He hears a tiny, faint squeak, and that all he needs to prompt him to take the bandana around his neck and wrap it around the kitten.

The umbrella lies abandoned on the road besides the dead cat as Ouma races away from scene. His feet carry him toward the direction of the student apartments, but even as he’s running he knows that he can’t take it to his place. He doesn’t know how to take care of an animal, especially an infant one that’s probably _dying_.

Cats. Who knows how to take care of cats???

The answer comes easily enough, and he finds himself in front of Hoshi Ryoma’s apartment. He’s been here only once, tagging along with Momota as the other visited Hoshi for some reason or another, but he’s certain he’s reached his destination as he knocks on the door, chest heaving as he tries to catch his breath.

A moment passes, too long for his patience, but the door opens soon enough. Hoshi looks up at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Ouma,” he greets. “What are you doing here?’

Wordlessly Ouma holds out the bandana bundle, and Hoshi’s eyes the kitten’s face that peeks out from it, eyes shut closed. He doesn’t even know if it’s still breathing, but his hand is shaking too much to check.

Hoshi steps back. “Come in.”

* * *

Gundam Tanaka is more of a liar than Ouma himself, he concludes as he watches Gundam’s purple scarf flicker before the door of Hoshi’s apartment slams shut.

Not that Gundam didn’t tell the truth. No, Ouma didn’t doubt that the cat is in good hands now. He watched as Gundam, his movements not hesitating even as he spouted absolute nonsense at Ouma with gusto, checked the cat’s vitals. He even brought out a stethoscope, bellowing, “SILENCE, MORTAL!” before very seriously checking its heartbeat.

“Death’s shroud had cast its illusions before, but I see now. You have brought a strong female to join the Tanaka Empire!” Gundam had harrumphed with a smile as he held a small bottle of warmed formula to the kitten’s snout. It immediately latched on, ears wiggling as it suckled. “I will see personally that she is raised into a fine specimen. AHAHA!!”

Yeah, no, Gundam’s a stupidly good person regardless of the lies he tells himself and others daily. That makes him more similar to Momota.

Ouma’s nose wrinkles at the comparison. Sure, his handle is ‘Luminary of the Stars’ or some shit, but at least Momota doesn’t roleplay himself as some literal astronaut superhero every day. Maybe in his dreams--

“Ouma,” Hoshi’s voice says, and Ouma turns and looks down at Hoshi. Cue all jokes about Hoshi’s height, some including the ones he desperately wanted to shout every time he met the ex-tennis player. He would’ve, but Momota always made sure to stick by Ouma’s side around Hoshi to probably prevent Ouma from doing just that. Jeez, Momota has such a stick up his ass sometimes--

“Ouma,” Hoshi repeats, and Ouma blinks before plastering on a grin.

Right. He’s still in Hoshi’s apartment and has no reason to be, so he should just go home and forget about this entire mess.

“Right, Hoshi-chan!” Ouma says brightly. He pulls the towel Hoshi had given him earlier off his shoulders, tossing it behind him to the counter. “I guess this is the time I say ‘good job’’ for all your hard work and let you be!”

Hoshi raises an eyebrow. “It’s still raining out.” As if on cue, a bright light flashes through the room, and thunder booms a few seconds after. Ouma tries not to shudder. “And now there’s thunder. You can stay here until it dies down a bit. Or until you can find a ride.”

“That won’t be necessary, Hoshi-chan! A supreme leader’s always on a tight schedule--places to see, people to harass, the usual!” Ouma chirps. He plucks his bandana from the counter and ties it around his neck as he skips to the front door. “I’ve already got a car full of my minions waiting outside for me!”

“Uhuh… Well, then, I won’t stop you,” Hoshi says, watching him. “Take an umbrella for the road, though.”

Ouma doubtfully glances downward at the bin by the front door. To his surprise, there are multiple umbrellas in it, only one wet. He decides not to question it as he takes a dry black one.

“Thanks, Hoshi-chan! I’ll have Momota-chan return this to you!” Ouma cheers, looking back to wave. He wants to get out already.

“Sure. Tell Momota I say hi.”

Ouma makes no such promise and is already down the stairs.

It’s there he finds a laminated business card in his pocket. Huh. He never had this before. It’s pitch black except for the white outline of a circle and the QR code it borders. Bemused at how it ended up on his person, Kokichi stuffs it deep into his jacket before going back out into the rain.

His abandoned umbrella and the cat are gone when he returns to the scene of the crime. Like the incident never happened, like a cat didn’t die and Ouma didn’t find its child in the bushes. For a moment he plays with the idea that the cat woke up ~~and Ouma had just stolen its family~~ , but it’s a stupid lie. He can’t deny death when it stared at him directly in the face.

Ouma comes back to his empty apartment shivering and, despite Hoshi’s umbrella, partially soaked. After a hot shower and change of clothes (the business card is deliberately left in his jacket, hanging in the closet), he burrows into bed without bothering to eat. He wakes to a sticky note on his forehead and Momota’s sleeping form besides him.

 _‘Dinner in fridge’_ the note says in the dimness of their room. Ouma rolls his eyes despite smiling, only reaching over to steal Momota’s phone from the nightstand before skipping off to the kitchen.

He taps away at his own phone as he eats reheated pork stew and rice.

 

 

 

> _hey Hoshi-chan! it’s your local supreme leader! Ψ( ｀▽´ )Ψ  Tell me if Gundam-chan gives you any updates!_
> 
> _Momota-chan doesn’t need to know about what happened today. The dumb idiot would probably want to take care of it himself despite that everything’s already situated ヽ(ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ I’ll tell him myself! THANKS!!!_
> 
> _(♛ ◡ ♛ ) Ouma Kokichi_

Hoshi responds with a talkative ‘ok’ the morning after, and that’s the end of that, Ouma tells himself.

Life disagrees with a nasty summer’s cold by noon. Momota fusses over him for a week, though, and Ouma’s head hurts too much to think about the kitten, so thank goodness for small miracles, or something, right?

* * *

Ouma takes his secret supreme leader missions super seriously. They require research, and research requires time. So that’s why it takes him four weeks to prepare to visit the Tanaka Empire. Sure, yeah, that works.

He had absolutely every intention to just, well, not visit at all. The kitten’s in safe hands now, so there’s no reason to visit to begin with. He doubts that Gundam intends to keep it, but he could definitely find it a new home with his connections.

But curiosity burns only slightly less than a fever, so once Ouma recovered from his cold he retrieved the business card from his coat. Scanning the QR code leads to a webpage, titled TANAKA GUNDAM, that lists a schedule and two addresses. Turns out Gundam’s a teaching assistant with office hours, but he lets his students visit him while he’s in the shelter, too.

Ouma did more research. It’s kitten season, and so the shelter’s super busy with a bunch of them up for adoption on its webpage. He scrolled through it mindlessly, but all black kittens listed also have siblings on their notes.

 _Maybe she found a foster family_ , Ouma had guessed, but as he went through the kittens’ profiles he didn’t feel a single flash of recognition. Which doesn’t make sense, because how would Ouma recognize a creature that he only met briefly. For all he knew it was already adopted.

 _Not like that matters_ , he told himself sullenly as he looked up cat facts on Google. Cats are best up for adoption at eight weeks minimum. Gundam had told him that the kitten was three weeks when he found it. So, actually, it was just too young to be listed on the site.

Ouma quashed down the relief that rose in his chest and marked a date on his phone’s calendar.

* * *

Ouma now finds himself kicking dirt in front of the local shelter on a warm, sunny day. Curiosity, he tells himself, is a dangerous thing, but he walks in anyway.

Ouma immediately wrinkles his nose as the smell of what can just be described as _animals_ hits him. It’s almost overbearing, but not quite, and he hops to the front desk.

“Hello! Welcome to the Hope Animal Shelter. All proceeds from merchandise sold at our store contributes directly to our animals. How can I help you?” the receptionist asks cheerily.

Ouma swings his arms behind his head, grinning. “Oh~! I just wanted to look at all the cute puppies and kitties!” he says brightly. The receptionist nods with a smile and gestures at him to go ahead.

He walks among the glass kennels and peers through each of them, eyes scanning carefully. He pauses in front of a litter of black kittens, all crawling over each other with energy. Is she one of them? He can’t tell. Ouma stares, stumped.

“My Four Dark Devas of Destruction told me of an imbalance in the energies here,” a deep voice says behind him, and Ouma spins on his heel to see Gundam standing in front of him, arms crossed and a faint smirk playing at his lips.

“Your Four Dark Whats of What?” Ouma asks, clearing his face of any hints of surprise at Gundam’s sudden appearance.

“My Four Dark Devas of Destruction!” Gundam booms, and four fuzzy lumps appear on his shoulders, tiny pink paws outstretched in cheers. _Hamsters?_ “Four powerful beings of the Tanaka Empire! But!” he holds a finger up to Ouma. “You, you are here not for their power, but for someone else’s, correct?”

“Hm~ I don’t know what you’re talking about, Gundam-chan!” Ouma says with a grin. He could go with “Tanaka-chan”, as per his usual manners, but Gundam’s such a _stupid_ name that he can’t let it up. “What if I was just here to see you and your dark, overlord-y nature?”

Gundam blinks, stilling for a moment before he leans back, chin tilting up in defiance. “Hmph. Silence, fool. You heavily overestimate yourself if you think you can deceive me.”

“Eeeh, you’re the fool, fool!” Ouma cries childishly, cheeks puffing.

“I said silence!!! I am no fool to your trickeries and lies!” Gundam declares as he turns around, hamsters swaying with him. “Now before you deliver any more of your outlandish declarations, follow me.”

He strides away, and Ouma follows the end of his scarf to a door at the back of the shelter. Gundam types a code into door handle’s keypad and leads Ouma into the room. There are even more glass kennels here, muffled mewls coming from them, and Ouma walks past several litters of kittens to Gundam.

His eyes follow Gundam’s gaze to the singular kitten in the cage in front of them. Ouma feels his heart skip a beat at the large eyes that peer at him from behind the glass, among an impressive amount of black fur. They’re yellow.

“She doesn’t have any cagemates?” Ouma finds himself asking.

“She has temporary teammates during her stay here, but they are currently guarding the frontlines,” Gundam answers.

“Hm~ Isn’t she fit enough to be with them?” Ouma asks, as casually as he can.

“That is true! She truly possesses the strength to be fitting of any location!” Gundam declares proudly. “But,” he stares pointedly at Ouma, who looks back with a smile, “she is on hold.”

“She is?” Ouma asks quickly, dumbly, as something twinges deep in his chest. _What?_

Gundam tucks his chin into his scarf. Five pairs of eyes stare pointedly into Ouma’s soul. “Correct, to the one called Ouma Kokichi.”

Ouma feels his expression blanks at his own name. “Whaaat~?” he recovers, quickly crossing his arms behind his head. “That’s strange, Gundam-chan! I don’t recall reserving this piece of fluff!”

Gundam and his hamsters’ impassive stares don’t falter. “What I recall,” he states, “is a battle to the near death with a supreme leader over whether this one is better for your organization or the Tanaka Empire.”

No such battle occured, but Ouma remembers now arguing with Gundam over this topic in Hoshi’s apartment. Really, it was just banter. Stupid banter. That’s what it was meant to be.

“You’re saying I won?” Ouma asks anyway. “Huuuh, and I was so okay with letting it off as a tie--to think you’d give up so easily, Gundam-chan!”

“Don’t think so deeply into an act made out of pity,” Gundam mutters as he walks to a desk, pulling out a stack of papers.

“Pity? I don’t remember asking for your pity!” Ouma scoffs, then pouts. “Wh-What’s there to pity about? Am--Am I really that pitiful to you?! We only just met!!! Gundam-chan, so mean, so _rude_ \--WAAAAAAAAAH!”

“Silence!!!” Gundam yells, eyes wide and panicked as he shoves the stack of papers to Ouma’s face. Ouma dries his tears instantly, studying the papers before grabbing them.

Adoption papers, complete with a profile of the kitten and what looks like a contract.

“‘Yoru’?” Ouma questions.

“A temporary alias for her time here,” Gundam mutters into his scarf.

Good, because Yoru’s a crappy name, Ouma thinks. Which doesn’t matter, because he’s _not_ adopting this cat. He reads through the lines of the papers carefully and frowns at a particular line.

“What questions do you have?” Gundam asks, and Ouma wrinkles his nose at being read so easily.

“Iiiis theeereeee…” Ouma lets the words stretch, stalling. Gundam just waits. Ugh. “Is there, like, a trial period for something like this? I need to check that she’s actually capable before she joins my super secret, super important eviiil organization!”

Another stack of papers is presented to Ouma. “These are forms to sign up to be a foster,” Gundam says almost mechanically, as if reading off a script. “Generally these are for our volunteers, but we also give them to people who want a trial-run with any potential adoptees. The cat will be listed on the website, though, so if anyone happens to want her then they will get first priority.”

Ouma whistles. “You sound almost human when you talk like that, Gundam-chan!”

“I will not be mocked so easily here,” Gundam mutters, arms crossed.

Ouma switches the papers and reads through them. The kitten watches behind the glass the whole time.

“... So, you will provide the supplies?” Ouma finally asks as he scans the last page. “And any medical fees before she gets adopted? Oh, and a year after adoption, too???”

“Not the last part, but do not underestimate Tanaka Gundam!” Gundam booms, already walking away. He returns with a mesh carrier and a bag. Ouma takes both and almost falls over from the weight of the latter. He peeks inside: cans of wet food, a medium-sized bag of kibble, what seems to be a small litter box, a bag of litter, some toys, and a guide on how to raise a kitten.

Reality suddenly lands on Ouma, hard.

“I’m…” He pauses, then swallows, pulling on a grin. “Wow~ This is a lot, Gundam-chan!”

Gundam closes his eyes with a nod. “Raising a minion is far different from leading them, young leader. It is a commitment, but her time is now!”

Translation: This kitten needs a home, and if Ouma doesn’t provide one, then, well, Gundam will find another as soon as possible.

Duh. He already knew this. Before visiting he was certain this was going to happen anyway, but…

“Okay!” Ouma exclaims, throwing all caution to the wind. “I just need to sign these papers and take her home, right?? And when someone else calls to adopt her I’ll just bring her back!”

Gundam gives another nod, his eyes burning with approval as his hamsters give Ouma several tiny thumbs-ups. Hamsters don’t even have thumbs.

Ouma signs the foster papers as Gundam puts the kitten in the carrier. He may have only missed a line or two and forgot to fill in his contact information, but who cares, right?

“Well, Gundam-chan! I guess I’ll do you a favor and take this one off your hands!” Ouma says as he sets the pen down on the table and goes to pick up the bag. Ugh, that’s heavy. He waddles over to the carrier and picks it up as well, much more carefully. “Just tell me as soon as someone else wants her!”

“Noted. And this is just a temporary alliance, Ouma Kokichi!” Gundam exclaims. “Don’t you dare show your face here again, unless it is to challenge me for my Dark Overlord title! And then, you will finally understand the true power of Tanaka Gundam! AHAHAHAHA!!!”

Ouma sticks his tongue out at Gundam as an answer and skips away--okay, no, more like shuffles away as gracefully as he can with a kitten in a carrier and a heavy ass bag of cat supplies. He calls a ride service home.

It’s only an hour later, sitting on the floor of the guest bathroom with his hands pressed against his face and a tiny fucking kitten happily perched on his knee, when Ouma realizes just what the _fuck_ he got into.

He sighs as the kitten rubs her cheek against his fingers. A weird sound is coming out of her, causing her entire body to vibrate at his touch. Is that a purr? Is _that_ what purring sounds like? How could it be so loud when she’s so small?

Ouma glares at her weakly. “Kai-chan is noooot going to be happy about you…”

Well, it’s just temporary, he tells himself as the kitten purrs louder as if responding to him. Just temporary.

* * *

 

One ~~boring~~ ~~awful~~ ~~terrible~~ ~~BLECH~~ _great_ thing about dating Momota is that he’s almost never home.

It wasn’t so bad last year, when they were just second years and still in their teens. But when third year came rolling around, so did upper division classes, and Momota’s double major status suddenly changed from a joke to a serious reality. It’s deafening in the silence and emptiness of the apartment when Ouma’s home. 

Momota’s wildly fluctuating sleep schedule doesn’t help either. Ouma was used to Momota going to bed by midnight latest (y’know, like a _moron_ ), but nowadays he instead stayed up late into the night in the office and sometimes even slept later than Ouma. The night owl! To think!

Studying’s gross and boring and gives Momota awful headaches sometimes, and Ouma knows that Momota does it not out of enjoyment but rather steel-willed perseverance. But it’s for that same reason that he doesn’t use it as a weapon against Momota in their usual banters. It’s admirable, really, that he tries so hard to reach his dreams.

“Sti-i- _ill_ , though, even without him boring up the place, it’s  _still_ so _boring_ here!” Ouma complains loudly. He’s been lying down on the freshly sanitized floor of the bathroom for an hour now, waiting for it to dry. The vent’s on and the door’s slightly ajar to let more air flow in. The kitten sits on top of his chest, loosely cradled by two hands in case she tries to make a break for it.

“Did you really just sit here all morning while I was gone?” he asks. “In this boooring room? How do you _do_ it?”

The kitten lets out a quiet chirp. Ouma lifts his head from the floor and sticks his tongue out, eyes crossing. “Boo!”

He receives the gentlest of headbutts to the nose, and Ouma lets out a soft cry and drops his head back.

“I’ve been defeated…” he mumbles as the kitten purrs and nuzzles his chin. Then, because the floor’s finally dry and maybe because he just fucking can’t help it anymore, he takes her into both hands and curls to his side. Giggles spill from his lips as he noses soft black fur.

It’s been one whole day since he brought the kitten to their home, and Momota hasn’t noticed yet. Just as planned. Momota has a midterm tomorrow night and a dozen upcoming assignments and a project, for good measure, so Ouma genuinely doesn’t expect to see his boyfriend anywhere in the apartment except fast asleep in bed until the weekend. A stressed, sleep-deprived Momota, Ouma learned, is capable of ignoring just about anything, even hunger and thirst, as long as it’s not Ouma himself or a person in need. He reckons a closed bathroom door should escape Momota’s attention for now.

Friday, he decides, is his deadline. Two days from now, Momota has a presentation at nine AM, a 3-hour lab at ten, and then lectures until early evening like the good student he is. Ouma should have enough time after his own midterm, scheduled at noon, to return the kitten to the shelter.

(He doesn’t study nearly as hard as his lover nor does he even go to class all the time, but Ouma still shows up for his exams. As much as he loves being a rebel, he needs free tuition more and intends to keep it with a decent GPA.)

Until Friday. Then he can go back to the shelter and tell Gundam that being a foster’s not fit for an evil supreme leader. It was stupid of him to even do this to begin with.

“It’s a plan!” he exclaims, rolling back onto his back and stretching out his arms. He holds the kitten above him, watching her paws knead at the air and _god_ she’s still purring. The vibrations hum pleasantly down his arms and into his chest, causing a strange, _warm_ feeling to bloom in it.

“I could kill you, you know,” Ouma murmurs. “You’re so small and fragile. It’d be so easy.”

The kitten pays no mind, purring away.

“... You’re kinda stupid, aren’t you?” he asks, bringing the kitten back closer to his face. She happily nuzzles his cheek. “But! I bet you’re smarter than some _dummy_ I already know!

He spends the whole day in the bathroom. Gundam calls him in the evening, bellowing that Ouma did not properly sign his forms, and Ouma cheerfully schedules a return on Friday so he can fix his mistakes.

(The next day, Thursday, he skips all of his classes. He leaves the bathroom at midnight, humming, and climbs into an empty bed.)

* * *

Ouma’s code is to finish his exams as fast as possible because that means more free time, which Ouma enjoys immensely. This often results in him striding up to the front of a lecture hall with only ten minutes subtracted from the timer and a finished answer sheet in his hand. Yep, he is one of _those_ students, but none of the TA’s could complain when he ends up passing (and more often, acing) his tests. Who can accuse him of cheating when he finishes first???

Regardless, Friday’s midterm _kills_ him.

Maybe it’s because Ouma’s head has been full of black fur for the past few weeks. When midterm time came, he found that he not only forgot half the material but also that it was an open-answer exam with an essay at the end. He belatedly leaves the lecture hall with a cramped wrist and irritation prickling in his chest because now he’s more than an hour behind schedule.

Still, though, _it should be fine_. There’s no rush, really, since Momota shouldn’t be home yet.

That’s what Ouma tells himself until he enters their apartment unit and finds the door of the guest bathroom ajar.

His blood runs cold, and Ouma immediately glances to the front door. There, hanging off a hook on the adjacent wall, are Momota’s keys, moon keychain and all. His shoulders slump slightly and he exhales, but his heart still pounds wildly in his chest as he gives the bathroom a cursory, useless look-over.

Empty of life, but the cat supplies are still there. Ouma frowns because he should have heard Momota’s voice by now, if he’s really in the apartment.

He rushes to the office next, but it’s empty of either boyfriend or black lump of fur. Still silence. Fear that he can’t explain rushes to his throat, preventing him from calling out Momota’s name as he dashes past the empty kitchen and living room to the master bedroom.

The door’s halfway open, and he pauses as he sees the familiar shape of Momota lying on the bed, back facing him. So he’s really here, asleep. An afternoon nap?

His heart stills as his eyes search for the kitten, but to no avail.

Ouma silently steps into the bedroom, walking over to Momota’s bedside. His breath catches in his throat as he spots black fur. His eyes follow it to finally see the kitten, lying on her back and sleeping peacefully against the curve of Momota’s throat. Momota’s completely knocked out, one bent arm pillowing both his head and the kitten, but at least he has the decency to not snore.

Ouma blinks.

_Oh man. Oh. Okay._

His mind’s stuttering as his hand moves mechanically. Ouma pulls out his phone and snaps a picture, then about twenty more.

He shifts to get a better angle, and he must’ve made some noise with it because the kitten stirs with a soft chirp. She yawns widely before blinking up at Ouma, who hurriedly presses a finger against his lips in a _shhh_ ing gesture.

She instantly squirms up to her feet and only pauses to stretch into an arch before practically tumbling off of Momota’s arm. Ouma scoops her up easily into his hands.

Okay! A bit of a detour, but Momota’s out cold and if Ouma’s lucky he’s probably in a coma! Enough time for Ouma to return the kitten and come up with an elaborate excuse on how Momota completely imagined it.

But luck’s not in Ouma’s favor, ever, and he hears shuffling from the bed as he turns towards the doorway, already poised to flee.

“Huh…?” Momota’s voice, groggy from sleep, murmurs behind him. “… Hm? Kokichi?”

Ouma sighs, then turns his head, looking behind his shoulder. “Oh, Kai-chan!” he greets. “Skipped your classes, huh~? What’s that about being a good student?”

Momota slowly sits up, rubbing at his eyes even as he glances around the room. His eyes finally settle on Ouma, eyebrows knitting together as he frowns.

“No one in their right mind would schedule a midterm one day and _expect_ students to show up to lecture the next, and I needed a nap,” Momota grumbles, then, speaking louder, “Also, Kokichi, what are you holding?”

Ouma’s fingers curl around the kitten. To her credit, she doesn’t make a sound.

“My heart, Kai-chan! You scared me!”

Momota sighs. “Cut the bullshit. Just turn around.”

Ouma purses his lips, but then sighs himself. He can run, but Momota would just chase him and see anyway, and it’d probably stress the kitten out. He turns around.

Momota blinks dumbly at him for a few seconds, as if he’s still trying to wake up.

“So, what’s that in your hands?” Momota finally asks, crossing his arms and not looking nearly as angry as he should be.

“A smoothie, Kai-chan!”

“No.... That’s not right, but, _who’s_ that in your hands?”

“I don’t know!” Ouma exclaims, ignoring how Momota rolls his eyes and groans. “What, Kai-chan, you’ve never seen a kitty before??”

“That’s not what I…” Momota sighs again, then shakes his head. “Nevermind. Just...” He frowns. “I already heard most of the story from Hoshi, so I guess I don’t have too many questions. Just, why didn’t you tell me about this before?”

Ouma tilts his head in fake innocence. “I did. You just forgot, Kai-chan!”

Momota doesn’t even grace him with an eye roll. “Try again.”

“I meant to, but then _I_ forgot! Whoops!”

“Last excuse was better. Are you going to tell the truth now?”

“Nope!” Ouma says, popping the p. “Or was that a lie?”

Momota looks annoyed and opens his mouth to speak, so Ouma interjects, “Next one! I toootally meant to tell you, but she’s only been here for a few days and you’re _never_ home except to sleep for like five hours, and I can’t tell you about a kitty when _I’m_ sleeping, sooo it’s a shame you had to find out like this!”

Momota doesn’t respond immediately at that, processing the words. “That… That sounds reasonable,” he admits, though his eyebrows remain furrowed in suspicion. “You could’ve just texted me, though.”

“What, when I’d rather hear your sweet voice?”

“Shut up. You could’ve called me, then.”

“While you’re in a _library_?”

“I’m not always in a… Ugh, Kokichi.” He sighs. “Okay, fine. There just wasn’t the opportunity to, I get it. So, can you tell me more about the cat?”

“Well, she’s a kitten, actually, and if you have eyes you can see that her fur’s black--”

“I mean, are you keeping her?”

Ouma pauses, then shrugs nonchalantly. “No. I’m just fostering her right now.”

“Oh?” Momota looks surprised. “Wait, actually?”

“I mean, I can show you the papers if you really don’t believe me,” Ouma answers dryly, stepping over to Momota and placing the kitten on his leg. Momota glances down at the kitten in surprise and scoops her up into his palm, holding her against his chest. She blinks owlishly at Ouma.

“No, it’s alright,” Momota says after the small distraction. “But does that mean someone else will adopt her?”

“Yep~! Glad you still got a brain in there after that midterm and presentation, huh?”

Momota blinks. “You remembered that?”

“Does it still surprise you when I remember stuff? Jeez, Kai-chan! Don’t underestimate me!”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re a genius,” Momota mutters. “I get it.”

“Mmhm, and don’t forget it!”

“Anyway,” Momota starts, and Ouma internally groans because he was just starting to change the topic. “Can a foster adopt their own kitten? Like, can _you_ adopt her?”

“And why would I do that?” Ouma asks blankly.

“Why would you--really?” Momota asks, raising an eyebrow before shaking his head, sighing. “Figures.”

“Hmm? What was that, Kai-chan?”

“What, so you’re telling me you actually _don’t_ want to adopt her?” Momota asks, holding up the kitten, who waves her paws in the air in confusion.

“Nope!” Ouma sings. “That never occured to me at all, never!”

“Hmph. Could’ve fooled me.”

Momota stops glaring at Ouma and instead looks thoughtfully at the kitten. Too thoughtfully, and Ouma doesn’t like that look on his face, really, because he usually says something _really_ stupid after making it.

“Well, then, I guess _I’ll_ adopt her, then.”

There it is. He was prepared for it, but Ouma still feels disbelief as he hisses, “ _What?_ ”

Momota shrugs, cradling the kitten and booping her nose lightly with his fingertip. Even from here Ouma can hear her purr. His chest tightens. “I like her? She’s a good cat, and I’ve always wanted a pet. Kinda wanted a dog, but this can work. And I know it’s not a good idea to make these sort of decisions on a whim, but, hell, the opportunity’s right in front of me--”

“With what _time_ can you take care of her?” Ouma blurts. The venom in his voice surprises both of them. He glances away. “I mean, Kai-chan, it’s a commitment. You just said it. It’s _not_ something you can just decide on a whim.”

Momota doesn’t say anything. Ouma shifts, refusing to look back at him.

“... You’re right,” Momota finally says. “I can try to be home more, but even then my schedule would probably be too busy for me to take care of a pet by myself.”

Ouma swallows the bitterness rising from his chest. “Yeah, see? I’m always right, Kai-chan~”

Momota sighs. “Kokichi… Hey, look at me.”

Ouma doesn’t want to, but he’s no coward, so he slowly turns his head back and stares back into Momota’s eyes.

Momota holds his gaze for a long moment.”Can I touch you?”

Ouma pauses, frowning before before nodding once. Momota stretches out his hand, and fingers gently card into Ouma’s hair before ruffling it. Ouma hates how he relaxes at the touch.

“I’m sorry,” Momota murmurs. “I should be home more, huh?”

Ouma looks at the floor. “It’s not your fault.”

“... Maybe not entirely, but still, I could try,” Momota says. “I’ll try harder from now on.”

“You don’t need to do that…”

“I _want_ to, Kokichi. I miss you too, you know.”

Ouma looks up indignantly. “Who said anything about _missing_ you, Kai-chan! Presumptuous, much--!”

“Hey, don’t get so worked up. You’ll scare her.”

Ouma flushes, suddenly not wanting to be in this room anymore. He instinctively searches for the kitten, for a sign of comfort that’s pointedly _not_ Momota at the moment, and then stills.

“Kai-chan, where _is_ she?”

“Huh?”

“The cat. Where’s the cat.”

Momota’s fingers freeze in his hair, and he looks down at the sheets by his legs, but there’s no kitten in sight.

“Fuck--”

“When did you let go of her?!” Ouma hisses as he wrenches his head away from Momota’s hand, eyes scanning wildly around the bedroom.

Momota leaps off the bed. “When I touched your hair, fuck, I put her down right next to me--”

“Ugh, _idiot_!”

“Sorry!” Momota’s voice comes from below as he’s already checking underneath the bed. “Calm down though, Kokichi! It’s been like only a minute, she has to be nearby.”

Ouma huffs angrily and storms into the master bathroom, but it’s empty.

The bedroom’s also empty when he turns back to it, but he hears Momota’s voice come from the living room.

“Here… kitty? Cat? _Fuck_.” A frustrated groan. “Kokichi, what’s the cat’s name?”

“ _That’s_ what you’re worried about?” Ouma mutters as he walks up besides Momota, looking around.

“I don’t know, maybe she’ll come out if she hears her name.”

“She doesn’t have one,” Ouma snaps. “I told you, I’m not planning on keeping her.”

Momota looks like he wants to say something, but he instead grimaces and turns away, muttering under his breath as he leaves the living room. Ouma checks underneath the couch, shining the light of his phone underneath, but he only finds dust balls not big enough to be a kitten.

“Kokichi!” Momota’s voice shouts. “Found her!”

Relief _floods_ into Ouma’s chest as he races to the guest bathroom. “You did?!”

“Yeah,” Momota breathes. He’s crouching on the floor by the water dish, from which the kitten is alternating from dipping her face into and licking foolishly up at the air.

“She must’ve just been thirsty,” Momota says, but Ouma’s still just staring at the kitten, who is still trying to lick away the water that went into her nose. “Thank fuck… Sorry, Kokichi, I’ll keep a better eye on her…”

No response.

“Kokichi…?”

Ouma finally rips his eyes away from the kitten, who’s now trying to dip a paw into the water. “Hm?”

“Are you okay?”

Ouma blinks a couple times, then sighs, shoulders drooping. “Yep. Just chipper.”

“Sure sound like it.” Momota rubs the back of his neck. “Sorry again. I shouldn’t have let go of her.”

“No, she was thirsty…” Ouma mutters, then sighs. “Come on. Help me pack up all this stuff. I’m returning her.”

“Wait, what? Right now?!”

“Yeah. I told Gundam-chan--the shelter director, by the way--that I’d meet him today because I didn’t sign the foster forms correctly. I’ll just bring back her instead.”

““Wh--no!” Momota exclaims.

Ouma rolls his eyes in disbelief. “Mo-mo-ta-chan, you _can’t_ be serious.”

Momota scowls at the use of his surname, but his eyes remain determined. “I am, Kokichi. Fuck, I don’t care--I nearly had a heart attack from being away from her for three minutes.”

“She’ll be safer with better people than _us_ , Momota-chan,” Ouma pointedly says.

“Then why’d you bring her here in the first place!?”

“It was a test trial! That we failed, by the way, so gooood job us!”

“Not looking at her for a few minutes isn’t _failing_ , what the fuck? And she’s just fine!” Momota gestures at the kitten, who’s now stepping into her food bowl to munch at the kibble.

“We could’ve lost her,” Ouma mutters, hands curling into fists. “Or she could’ve gotten stuck somewhere, or a bird could’ve swooped in through the window and get her, I don’t know. A _lot_ of things could have happened, but of course you wouldn’t consider any of them!”

“ _Damn_ , Kokichi, I didn’t know you were such a pessimist. Or such a clingy mom.”

“A _what?_ ”

“Joking,” Momota says, holding his hands up in defense. “But really. You’re worrying way too much. Like, I get you, but still...” He frowns, pausing as the kitten, done with food, clambers up his knee. He adjusts himself into a sitting position and sets the kitten on his lap before continuing:

“... Do you.... Do you think you’re not ready to take care of her? That’s why you made sure to return her so quickly?  Is _that_ why you didn’t even tell me?”

Ouma doesn’t answer.

“... Okay.” Momota finally sighs after a long silence.

“Okay as in you’ll help me pack?” Ouma mutters, tone flat.

“Okay, as in I get it. But to that, _no_. I still want to keep her. And I know you do, too.”

“No, I don’t,” Ouma says coldly. “I don’t want that cat here anymore.”

“Look at at her in the face and tell _her_ that.”

 _That’s cheating_ , Ouma thinks as looks pointedly at the cat. She looks back at him with wide eyes.

“ _Mrrp??_ ”

Ouma feels his expression just _crumple_ at the noise, and he groans as he buries his face into his hands.

“ _That’s just cheating, Momota-chan!_ ”

“You can’t do it! You want her to stay here!”

“No!”

“Just admit it! You can’t say no to this face!”

“Watch me! _Uuuuugh_ , Momota-chan, you’re so _annoying!_ ”

Ouma peeks through his fingers to find Momota holding up the kitten next to his face. They both stare at Ouma with equally matching expressions of pure, dumb innocence.

“What was that?” Momota asks, almost sweetly, blinking for good measure.

Crap. Ouma can’t help the laugh that bubbles up his throat, because, _god--_ ”You--hahaha, oh my god--you look so--” absolutely _adorable_ “-- _stupid--!_ ”

Momota’s expression instantly morphs into a scowl as he returns the kitten to his lap. “Shut _up._ I tried taking a page out of your book--”

“And is that--ehehehe--supposed to _impress_ me? Ahahaha! Oh my _gosh,_ Kai-chan, haha--!”

Momota’s scowl fades away, and he stares at Ouma for a few seconds before he starts laughing, too.

The kitten looks between the two as their laughter echoes throughout the room. They stop, though, when she starts meowing loudly.

“Huh? Is something wrong?” Momota asks her, looking down with a smile.

“Maybe she was trying to copy us,” Ouma says before he can shut his fucking mouth. Momota’s smile splits into a grin.

“Maybe.”

They fall into an amused silence after that. Momota idly strokes the kitten’s head with his fingertips, and after a moment Ouma shuffles over and sits down to pat her, too. She seems confused at the multiple hands before rolling over onto her back, exposing her belly.

“Oh! Be careful, Kai-chan! She’s going to attack!”

“Really? She doesn’t want a belly rub?”

“Nope! That’s a lie! It’s bait!”

“Bait? She’s making a belly rub _bait_?”

“Sneaky, right? Watch!”

Ouma gleefully dips his hands in to tickle the kitten’s belly, and she instantly grabs at his hand, snuffling against his fingers. Ouma giggles excitedly, and Momota watches with faint worry before relaxing.

“Doesn’t hurt?” he figures.

“Nope!” Ouma draws back his hands, and the kitten instantly stretches out her arms. “Oh look, she’s challenging me!”

Momota watches as Ouma tickles the kitten again, smile playing at his lips. “Don’t give her a habit of that.”

Ouma hums, busy, “Hmmm~”

Momota chuckles. “I don’t see you disagreeing. Does that mean we can keep her?”

Ouma’s fingers still for a second, but then he resumes tickling the kitten, keeping his eyes trained on her. “I… I guess we don’t have to return her today,” he admits slowly.

Momota grins. “Okay!” he says excitedly, looking down at the kitten too. “Great, you can get to know me more!”

“Idiot, she can’t understand you,” Ouma says, unable to keep the fondness out of his voice. Momota laughs, embarrassed.

“She will eventually!” Momota claims confidently, but then he frowns and looks down at her. “Still, though, I don’t think I can continue like this without giving her a name, I mean, didn’t the shelter give her one?”

Ouma stops tickling the kitten in favor of stroking the area under her chin. “Yeah, but dumb Gundam-chan named her _Yoru_ . Because he’s _edgy_ , Kai-chan. I don’t want to call her a dark and gross name like that!”

“I don’t think Yoru’s that bad…” Momota starts. Then, at Ouma’s glare, “But I guess we can think of a better name.”

“Naming’s tough,” Ouma says with a shrug. “You do it, Kai-chan.”

“What? Really?”

“Mmhm,” Ouma nods. It feels right. “Yeah, you get dibs. Name her.”

“Um, okay…” Momota trails off, eyebrows furrowed as he thinks. “Celestia?”

“ _Nope_ , reminds me too much of a certain someone. Next!”

“You just said… Ugh, nevermind. How about Luna?”

“ _Unoriginal_ , next!”

“How about Void?”

“No edgy names, Kai-chan! Jeez, I already went over this!”

“Uh, Sirius??”

“Are _you_ serious???”

“Kokichi…”

“That’s _my_ name! Nope!”

“Fucking hell--”

“Metal, but vulgar! NO, KAI-CHAN!!!”

Ouma rejects the next string of curses from Momota as well as a couple more cheesy space-themed ones he suggests

“Ugh, I don’t know??” Momota finally cries in exasperation. “You just keep rejecting everything I say!”

“Well, the kitten’s not impressed either!”

They both look down at said kitten, who gazes up at them adoringly.

“Meep!” she chirps, stretching slightly on Momota’s lap.

“... Mimi?” Momota says.

Ouma stares, wondering if he just spoke gibberish. “What?”

“Mimi. For a name.”

“... _Mimi?_ Like, the noise she just made?”

“No, not exactly!” Momota says, flushing lightly. “It just sorta… occured to me. It sounds kinda… cute?”

“Mimi…” Ouma repeats, bringing his fingers to his chin thoughtfully. “Mimi, Mimi, mimimimimimimi…….. Hmmmm…” He closes his eyes. “Hmmmmmmmmmmmm…. Okay!”

“Okay?” Momota asks in faint surprise.

“Yeah, I like it,” Ouma says with a nod. “It’s stupid and silly! Like you!”

“Oi…”

Ouma reaches over and scoops the kitten from Momota’s lap with both hands, holding her up and above his head as he twirls around. “How’s that, Mimi-chan? Is that a good enough name for you?”

Mimi chirps and wriggles in his hands, and Ouma laughs and laughs because, despite being in a bathroom of all places, he’s currently with two others that he never expected to love but managed to dig their ways into his heart anyway, and, for once, the feeling is not awful.

He and Momota go to Hope’s Shelter not long after to finish signing the foster forms. Momota and Gundam meet for the first time, the former who’s spends most of the encounter utterly perplexed at Ouma and Gundam’s banter.

They discuss their plan over dinner. Momota promises to take care of Mimi’s morning and evening meals, meaning that he’s going to be at the apartment more. Ouma grudgingly promises not to skip _all_ of his classes to watch over her. Mimi can be anywhere in the apartment as long as one of them keeps an eye on her, but she stays in the bathroom when no one’s home.

Weekend plans to go to the library and play video games are tossed away in favor of absolutely fawning over Mimi, and it’s only a week later when they return to the shelter to demand adoption forms, offering no tangible reasons why to Gundam, who just laughs at them haughtily and doesn’t ask further.

“Guess that means you’re our new roommate, Mimi-chan!” Ouma cheers to her as Momota sets up a cat tree, one of the many new supplies they bought at the shelter, in their office. “And, and! We decided that you don’t have to stay inside that tiny bathroom anymore!”

Mimi, happily curled up against the crook of Ouma’s knee, chirps happily in response, looking perfectly at home. Because that’s where she is now: home.

Later that night, Momota sits up suddenly in bed. “Kokichi?”

“Hmmmmmmmrph?” Ouma murmurs tiredly from his pillow, half-asleep. Mimi forms a fuzzy black ball on her own pillow at the bed’s corner.

“Does our apartment even allow pets?”

Ouma snorts. “Nope!”

A long silence. “......... Okay.” Momota lies back down. “We should get a new place.”

“Eventually,” Ouma waves a hand tiredly in the air. “Until then don’t worry, Kai-chan. She’ll be our little secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is dedicated to the kittens i will undoubtedly one day adopt in the future, and to my current cat who will undoubtedly love said kittens but maybe bully them. You better behave yourself ™!
> 
> If you’ve been seriously considering getting a cat, please adopt one! Lots of kittens and mom cats need new homes during kitten season, which is generally during the summer or when it’s warm. 
> 
> If you’re wondering why Momota never found Ouma’s copy of the foster/adoption forms, it’s cause he’s a good boyfriend and doesn’t look through Ouma’s desk even after finding a kitty in the bathroom :p Ouma put them in a locked drawer anyway.
> 
> And lastly, Mimi (秘密) means “secret” in Chinese.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated :D


End file.
